Express Newsline on Monday spoke to a cross section of people, and almost all of them said the decision wasn't fair on Singh.

Sheetal Jaiswal, a student, said: ``Jaspal Singh was right in conducting raids on those indulging in black marketing. It is because of such steps that kerosene rates were under control.''

And Kaanan Jani, a housewife, said that only time would tell if the decision was right or wrong, but Singh ``should fight it out''. She said that if Singh was right in despatching a letter to Union Minister Surjit Singh Barnala, he should prove it.

And another housewife, Neera Pathak, said, ``Certainly this is not a right decision.''

Subhash Joshi, an employee of Asea Brown Boveri said that Singh had great consideration for the public. Joshi said Singh's actions had shown good results and despite that the government had wronged him.

``It is because of actions taken by Singh that adulteration of kerosene had stopped,'' said Balasaheb Maske, an auto consultant. ``Poor and middle class people had benefitted by Singh's actions, so it was wrong of the government to take away the food & civil supplies portfolio from him,'' he said.

Social worker Suyog Muley said, ``Singh's decision might have irked the business community and others, but the poor were certainly happy. People got kerosene cheap.''

Muley said in no uncertain terms that Singh was right in writing letter to Barnala. Even if such letters harm the interests of the party, the overall interest of society should have been considered, he added. There was a dissenting voice, though. Bank employee Hiren Patel termed the government's decision as the right step. Patel said on the basis of newspaper reports he could gather that Singh had harassed people who had helped the party.

Continuing his observation on the basis of the reports, he said the minister did not harass persons who were close to him.